About the WHF Foundation

WHF Foundation 20th Anniversary: Celebrating 2017 The Year of Service and Volunteerism

The Women in Housing & Finance Foundation celebrated 20 years of supporting women and families through financial literacy, transition housing assistance, economic empowerment and academic scholarships throughout 2017. All year long, the Foundation held a series of special events, recognizing the nonprofits supported by its Partnership Grants Programs as well as its partner associations -- Operation HOPE and Trinity Washington University.

"We wanted to showcase our partners and grant recipients during this year of celebration," said Mary Martha Fortney, WHF Foundation President. "It is their programs that really make a difference in the lives of low-income or other at-risk women and families," she added.

The WHF Foundation is comprised of members of Women in Housing & Finance, Inc., an organization of professionals in the fields of housing and finance, who dedicate their resources to help disadvantaged women and their families in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. In September 1997, WHF created the WHF Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to:

Since its inception, the WHF Foundation has contributed nearly $600,000 to local organizations through more than 125 grants, conducted more than 250 financial empowerment sessions, and provided $18,000 in student scholarships. In 2016, the Foundation created a unique eight-session curriculum called Changepurse, designed to empower women of all ages and income levels to manage their money and their financial lives for stability, good health, and contentment. WHF volunteers use the curriculum at Calvary Women's Services and with others in need.

The Foundation's current partners include the following:

Bridges to Independence (Va.) --provides transitional housing and support services to homeless families and women in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria https://bridges2.org/

Doorways for Women and Families (Va.) --one of Doorways' programs is its Financial Independence Track, which provides one-on-one financial literacy education to 70-90 people per year https://www.doorwaysva.org/

Interfaith Works (Md.) --provides a broad array of social services and advocacy programs, such as the Job Readiness Course, which includes financial literacy, computer instruction, and GED workshops for homeless adults http://www.iworksmc.org/